''The Commanders'' was an upcoming American

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

series was set to premiere on

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

Premise

''The Commanders'' was described by History as: "an anthology scripted series envisioned as an annual television event ranging from four to 10 hours in length. It will dramatize pivotal moments in

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

history that defined the legacy of the men who served as

Presidents of the United States The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

— from the first one,

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, to Number 42,

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

Production

Development

On March 21, 2017, History announced that they were developing an anthology drama series entitled ''The Commanders'' that focuses on different pivotal moments in U.S. history that defined the legacies of the men who served as President of the United States. The first installments of the series were said to focus on Bill Clinton,

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

, and

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

. As part of the development process, History had optioned several biographies as source material for ''The Commanders'' including ''The Breach: Inside the Imp]eachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton'' by Peter Baker, ''Theodore Rex'' by Edmund Morris, ''Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates'' by Brian Kilmeade, ''The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan'' by Rick Perlstein, and ''Alliance: The Inside Story of How Roosevelt, Stalin & Churchill Won One War & Began Another'' by Jonathan Fenby. The series was set to be produced by A+E Studios with each season being overseen by different production staffs and writers. On November 30, 2017, it was announced that History had decided to develop their adaptation of Peter Baker's book, separately from ''The Commanders'' series, as its own miniseries. The series was set to be written by R. J. Cutler and David K. Israel. Cutler was also set to direct the series and executive produce it alongside Barry Jossen. Production companies involved with the series included A+E Studios and FremantleMedia North America. While ''The Breach'' was to no longer air as the first installment in ''The Commanders'' anthology series, there were plans for it to be followed by a limited series about other presidents. The miniseries was one of six such projects put in development in the spring of 2017, with the others still in the works. On April 4, 2018, it was announced that History was no longer moving forward with ''The Breach''. It was further clarified that the miniseries had been intended to be the first season of ''The Commanders'' and the other seasons of the series were still in development. Producers for ''The Breach'' reportedly had trouble casting the lead role of

after making various offers to "A-list" actors which contributed to the season's demise.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Commanders American drama television series American English-language television shows History (American TV channel) original programming Television series about presidents of the United States Television series about Bill Clinton Television series about George W. Bush Works about the impeachment of Bill Clinton

Premise

Production

Development

See also

References

External links